State Department report on religious persecution accuses Islamic State of genocide

Article ReprintSecretary of State Rex Tillerson leaves the lectern after delivering remarks accompanying the release of the department’s 2016 report on international religious freedom on Aug. 15. (EPA)

Rejecting criticism that it has sidelined human rights in U.S. policy, the State Department on Tuesday accused Islamic State of trying to commit genocide of Christians and other minorities as it sought to build an Islamist caliphate in Iraq and Syria.